Chapter 8 Summary

Chapter 8 opens with a description of the battle between the Iroquois and the band of travelers. Bullets whiz among the rocks as Hawkeye advises the men to conserve their shot. Heyward and Uncas offer hands of friendship and admiration to each other.

A bullet hits the rock near Heyward's head. They look up to see an Iroquois in an oak tree that came out over the river. All four men work together to flush the bird from the nest, finally knocking him out of the tree.

Uncas shouts in despair when a Huron is seen moving away with the canoe. The situation is even more desperate when Hawkeye shows the empty state of his bullet pouch. Even the girls join the discussion of what to do. Uncas prepares to die. Cora encourages the men to try the river. They refuse, but she insists it is the best...